Broken Memories
by ng59678
Summary: A take on the finale - AU - favorite couple are unpacking, what happens?


_**Broken Memories**_

_Mac's Apartment  
__San Diego, California  
__1900 EST  
__June 4, 2005_

Mac walked back into her apartment after a long day of work. The apartment hardly looked like it had been lived in, mostly because Mac couldn't live in it. 'How could a person live without their heart,' Mac thought to herself as she fumbled with one of the boxes that the mover came with.

She knocked her cell phone off the table while unpacking. She looked at it, "Why doesn't he call me?" She said to no one in particular. Her mind thought back to that fateful day of the coin toss where she took a chance and loss.

_Memory:_

Mac caught the coin in the air as it was getting ready to fall. Harm looked at her. He saw the tirade of emotions flit across her face. "Mac?"

"Harm, we are rushing."

"We have known each other for nine years, how is this rushing?" He asked incredulously.

"We should try dating first."

"We can't date if we are living 5,489 miles apart."

"I could do long distance if I had to."

"Mac, we decided that we would let fate keep us together."

Mac looked at the coin in her hand. "I can't do that."

She kissed him on his cheek and left the newly Captain Rabb in a wake of Mackenzie disaster.

She wanted to look back, but she knew, if she did she would be running back to him, and all the promises that he made to her. "Mac, I love you!" She heard his anguish voice yell.

"I will always love you." She yelled back. Running out of McMurphy's she started her corvette and sped away.

_End Memory_

Putting off the inevitable, Mac grabbed her running shoes and took off. She ran along the beach letting the memories of her love across the ocean wash over her. God, she missed him. The ocean spray hit her, and she could almost just feel him all around her. She didn't know that moving to the Pacific Coast would actually conjure more feelings of her flyboy. Another jogger flew by her, and she smelledHarm'scologne on him, Abercrombie and Fitch. Mattie had bought it for Harm's birthday, and even though he would never admit it, he loved it. Mac loved the way it had smelled on him, the night they made love before going to the bar that is what he was wearing. She had went and bought a bottle of it and sprayed it on her pillow the night she landed to feel closer to him. She knew it was silly, but still.

Finishing her run, she dropped her keys on the table in her foyer. She glanced at the answering machine, still no calls. She went to her kitchen and began the process of unpacking her life.

She looked around and was amazed how her life could be summed up in fourteen 21 gallon Tupperware bins, a living room suite, and a bedroom suite. It was pathetic. When she was telling Harriet that sometimes she wanted her live, she wasn't kidding.

She pulled out the bin labeled plates. Mac unwrapped one, and saw a chip. Harm had chipped her plate one night when they were discussing a case. He promised that he would buy her a new one, and he did, but she never threw out that piece of earthen ware because it had his mark on it. She felt like such a sap.

She then unwrapped the next thing, wine glasses, presents from Harm. She remembered when he gave them to her.

_Memory:_

"Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday dear MAAAAAAAAC, Happy birthday to you." Harm sang to her as loudly as he could.

Mac opened the door. "You better get in her before my neighbors throw a boot at you! I thought you forgot."

"How could I forget my best friend's birthday?"

"But . . ."

"But nothing, look, thick or thin we are still best friends, and even when you get married to Brumby, I will still be your best friend." Harm handed her a picnic basket.

"Thanks Harm, I'm sure Mic and I will use this a lot."

"Open the basket."

She pulled out two wine glasses. "You know I don't drink."

"I know, but I thought for once we could toast our friendship," He said opening the door pulling out non-alcoholic champagne. "Besides you can use them for water goblets later."

She smiled and they toasted their fourth year of friendship.

_End Memory_

Sighing she walked into the living room and saw more boxes. Deciding to put on music to help with the task, she started the radio. She heard Keith Urban start crooning out one of her favorite songs, "Memories of Us." Walking over to box closest to the radio, she picked it up and set it on the coffee table. Not looking to see what it was, she ripped it open. Broken glass was everywhere. Looking at the box, she saw the label, **_PICTUES – FRAGILE!_**

Mac reached in and tried to pull out the first picture, one of her and Harm at an embassy ball. She heard the song end, "I'm gonna love you, like nobody loves you, and I'llwin your trust making memories of us. OOHH...oh baby . . . " The country singer belted out.

She trusted Harm with her life, why not her love?

_Harm's Apartment  
__London, England  
__June 5, 2005_

Mattie had just come in. He looked at his little girl. "Harm, stop worrying about me."

"I'm your Dad now kiddo, it is my job to worry."

"Well, I'm your daughter now, and it is my job to worry about you too! What happened at McMurphy's?"

"I told you, Mac didn't love me enough to take a chance on us."

"Did you ever think she was just scared?"

"I know she was. I was just as scared as she was. Now, let's drop this topic. We have some unpacking to finish."

He had put off moving to England to wait until Mattie was well enough to be transported over. He had gotten compassionate leave when the media had caught wind of what was happening in the small family. He had a feeling that someone had let it leak that he was going to quit to take care of Mattie if he couldn't figure out a way to stay with her until she could go to England. They had just landed a week ago.

"Dad, it's okay if you don't want to unpack your memories." Mattie said pointing to the only box that was left untouched.

Harm looked at her. "You called me Dad."

"Well that is what you are. You should go see Mac."

"I'm not leaving you here all alone."

"Go when Gram and Gramps come. They are still coming to help me check out some of the private schools right?"

"They sure are kiddo. I do need to spend some time with Frank and Mom. You guys are the most important people in my life now."

"And Mac," Mattie sighed under her breath, pushing away in her wheelchair. She was slowly regaining the use of her legs, but it was going to be a hard, and long process.

Mattie sighed as Harm put the picture back in the box and sealed it back up. In the week they had been in the apartment, Harm had managed to unpack everything except for the pictures of him and Mac. Mattie figured the pictures would forever be doomed to stay in a box forever.

_July 14, 2005_

Harm waved bye to his family as they boarded Frank's jet for a weekend in Italy. Mattie had always wanted to go, and being the only grandchild, well, her grandparents did what grandparents do and gave in. Harm turned to leave the airport when he heard Keith Urban's Making Memories of Us.

"Well Mac, that is all I have, Memories of Us."

He got to the sliding glass doors and stared out into the rain, it had just started to pour a second before, he thought his eyes were playing tricks on him . . . could it really be?

"Mac?"

She turned around, her hair was soaking wet, and she looked like she had been crying. He walked over to her.

"Mac, what are you doing here?"

"I was unpacking some boxes, and the movers smashed my box of pictures." She explained to him running to an overhang. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a scratched picture of the two of them.

"Is that why you are here, you need copies of pictures? You could have sent an email, would have been cheaper." He said sarcastically to her.

"Harm, will you listen?" He nodded, and she went on. "I was unpacking my things, and I held all the things I owned and realized that you were packed up in almost every single one of my boxes . . . you were in my dishes, I found your Patrick Henry coin in my couch cushions, my sheets smell like your detergent, my pillow smells like you."

"Mac, if you need my permission to move on, well you have it. Wash your pillows, your sheets, throw out the dishes and the coin."

"I don't want to move on."

"What do you want Mac?"

"I want your trust."

"I tried that, remember McMurphy's."

"No, we tried fate, and I couldn't let fate decide, I had to make a decision, and this is it. I want your trust making memories of us. Harm, I love you, and I was stupid, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you, here in London, being a Captain's wife, a mother to Mattie, and I want to try for our four percent miracle, and if not, adopt a child that could pester Mattie well into her thirties . . ."

He crushed her with a kiss. "We already have a ton of memories of us. Let's go make more." He picked her up and swung her around in the rain. "I love you Mac."

"I love you Harm. Marry me."

"That's my line."

"Well?"

"Marry me today."

"Yes."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I resigned my commission. I want to live with you forever, no matter the location, just as long as I have you, my heart is complete." She whispered into his ear.

He picked up her bag and shoved it into his car. "Well, then lets go home." He smiled at her and kissed the love of his life.

_The end_

AN-Well, while the finale was playing, I was packing for my first move, probably not the easiest of moves for me, scary making a new life for myself . . . story of course inspired by the finale, and me opening a box of broken picture framesof the last couple years of my life, ironically while that song was playing, it is how I reacted brought into the story of everyone's favorite couple. Sigh, back to unpacking hopefully nothing else is broken. Read and Review as always.


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